Also known as: Family Support Act of 1988 · Family Support Act · FSA 1988 · FSA
Written by attorneys · grounded in primary & secondary sources — see below
A federal statute that requires states to establish child support guidelines and strengthens mechanisms for enforcing support orders across state lines.
After a divorce in State A, Paul obtained a child support order against Clifford. Clifford later moved to State B and fell behind on payments. The State A tribunal entered a judgment for arrears and asked State B to enforce the original order through wage withholding. Because the State A order remained the controlling order, State B enforced it without modification.
A New York court ordered Marcus to pay support until his son reached age twenty-one. Marcus moved to North Carolina, where the order was registered. When the son turned eighteen, Marcus sought termination under North Carolina law. The court denied the request because New York law continued to govern the duration of the obligation.
Sophie lived in State A when a court there ordered her to pay support for her children. After she moved to State B, Jamie registered the order and sought enforcement. The State B court exercised personal jurisdiction over Sophie because the conditions prescribed in the state's version of Uniform Interstate Family Support Act section 201 were satisfied.
Select any source to read its text and confirm it supports the definition.
The law of the issuing state governs the nature and duration of the obligation, including the age of emancipation. Registration allows enforcement but does not substitute the registering state's rules on how long support lasts.
A tribunal that issued a child-support order consistent with its state's law may act as an initiating tribunal if the order is the controlling order and has not been modified by another state that assumed jurisdiction under the Act, or to enforce a money judgment for arrears accrued before any such determination.
No. Lack of jurisdiction over one individual does not preclude the court from making an adjudication of parentage binding on another individual who is subject to the court's jurisdiction.